3. Ashley Cole

The FA confirmed the fine after Cole had admitted a charge of making a Twitter comment that was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.

The Chelsea defender had labelled the FA a "bunch of t***s" on the social networking site after an independent regulatory commission of the governing body investigating the John Terry racial abuse case had cast doubt on Cole's evidence.

Cole apologised via his solicitor on the day the tweet was sent and later apologised in person to FA chairman David Bernstein, but a charge was still brought against the 31-year-old.

"Chelsea's Ashley Cole has been fined £90,000 after he admitted an FA charge in relation to a Twitter comment which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute," read a statement on the FA's website.

"Cole, who had requested a non-personal hearing, was also warned as to his future conduct."

Cole's outburst two weeks ago was retweeted more than 19,000 times and provoked large condemnation from the footballing world.

He apologised to FA chairman David Bernstein, who only two days earlier had revealed that the England squad had been spoken to about a new code of conduct.

Ashley Cole factfile

1980: December 20 - Born in Stepney, London.

1999: November - Makes Arsenal debut in League Cup match against Middlesbrough.

2000: May - Handed a Premier League debut against Newcastle before being sent on loan to Crystal Palace, where he receives a run in the first team.

August - Makes England Under-21 debut against Georgia.

2001: March - Makes England senior debut in World Cup qualifier against Albania after just four under-21 caps.

2002: First-choice left-back as the Gunners win the Premier League and FA Cup double. Named in England 2002 World Cup squad and is an ever-present in Japan and South Korea.

2003: Wins second FA Cup with Arsenal.

2004: Key part of the legendary 'Invincibles' side that win the Premier League in an unbeaten season. Plays every game of England's Euro 2004 campaign in Portugal and named in the team of the tournament.

2005: May - Claims his third FA Cup winner's medal, scoring a penalty in the shoot-out victory over Manchester United.

June - Fined by the FA for his involvement in transfer talks with Chelsea which had not been sanctioned by Arsenal.

2006 - May: Plays full 90 minutes in the 2-1 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.

Ever-present in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

August: Signs for Chelsea in a cash-plus-player deal involving William Gallas.

September 9: Debuts for Chelsea as a replacement for Wayne Bridge in 2-1 win over Charlton.

2007 - May: Recovers sufficiently from a knee injury to play the last 12 minutes of extra time as Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final.

March 2008: Scores first goal for the Blues at West Ham.

Issues an apology to Tottenham's Alan Hutton for a bad tackle and to referee Mike Riley for his reaction to the subsequent booking.

May: Plays in his second Champions League final, again on the losing side as Chelsea go down on penalties to United despite Cole scoring his spot-kick.

Chelsea also pip Manchester United to the Premier League title to give Cole the second double of his career.

Named England's player of the year by fans.

2011 - February: Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti admits Cole "made a mistake" and "stepped over the line" following media reports he shot an air rifle towards a club intern.

September: Makes his 87th England appearance against Denmark to become his country's most capped full-back ahead of Kenny Sansom.

2012 - May: Continues his proud tradition in the FA Cup with a seventh final success, a 2-1 win over Liverpool.

Wins the Champions League at the third time of asking as Chelsea defeat Bayern Munich on penalties. Scores in the shoot-out.

June: Misses in shoot-out as England lose European Championship quarter-final to Italy.

October 5: Uncertainty over Cole's testimony in John Terry's disciplinary hearing is cited by independent FA regulatory commission in written explanation for the Chelsea captain's four-match ban and fine. Cole attacks the FA in a foul-mouthed rant on Twitter, for which he quickly apologises.

October 8: Charged with misconduct by the FA in relation to his Twitter comment.